Scottish Executive

Fisheries

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the outcome of the Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 25 April 2001.

Rhona Brankin: I and Elliot Morley MP, the MAFF Fisheries Minister, represented the UK at the council.

  The Commission reported on the progress of discussion on stock recovery plans for cod and hake and addressed some of the concerns which had been expressed by member states. I and Elliot Morley emphasised our support for improved technical conservation measures in the North Sea but emphasised the need to take account of the specific circumstances of the mixed fisheries in developing proposals. I drew attention to the need to strike the right balance in matters such as mesh size, bycatch limits and discard rates which will apply from January 2001 in order to minimise the economic implications of the measures for our fishing communities whilst securing the desired conservation objectives. I also stressed the importance of fully involving fishermen in developing appropriate solutions. Further discussions among member states are now proceeding with a view to resuming negotiations between the EU and Norway on 7 May.

  Commissioner Fischler made a presentation to the Council of the Green Paper on the 2002 Review of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and reported that an extensive consultation exercise with all interested parties was now under way. The UK delegation gave a broad welcome for the Green Paper as providing a sound basis for conducting the review. The Fisheries Council will have a substantive debate on the Green Paper at its meeting in June.

  The council adopted conclusions on the integration of environmental concerns into the CFP which will contribute to the forthcoming report to the Gothenburg European Council on environmental integration. The Commission also presented a report on biodiversity action plans for fisheries which will now be considered in detail as part of the wider effort to integrate fisheries and environmental concerns.

  The council adopted conclusions on a move towards developing multi-annual management strategies for setting Total Allowable Catches within a precautionary framework.

  The council also took note of the failure to include a fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco and the consequent need to bring forward measures for restructuring of the EU fleets which have previously operated in Moroccan waters. Member states confirmed that they would be ready to ratify the UN Agreement on straddling and migratory stocks by the end of this year and also agreed a common position on criteria for allocating catching opportunities in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) which take account of both the needs of EU fishermen and of developing countries.